Feiedbich haenichen and otto haeniohen



(No Model.)

I. & O. HAENIOHEN.

ELECTRIC PENDULUM GLOGK. No. 342,086. Patented May 18, 1,886.

WITNESSES Z INVENTORY DN WQ W M By Afforneyq UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRIEDRICH I-IAENIOHEN AND OTTO HAEEIOIIEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, IA., ASSIGNORS TO THEMSELVES, AND OSCAR SEEBASS, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

ELECTRlC-PENDULUM CLOCK.

,SPECLFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 342,086, dated May 18, 1886.

Application filed September 18, 1885. Serial No. 177,423. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it'hnown that we, FRIEDRICH HA'ENI- cans and OTTO Hannronnmof Philadelphia, in the countyiof Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric-Pendulum Clocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to certain improvements in the electric-pendulum clock for which. Letters Patent have been granted to us, No. 316,360, dated April 21, 1885, the improvements being designed with a view to simplify the construction of the clock; and the invention consists of certain details of construction and combination of parts,which will be more fully described hercinafter,and finally be pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a front elevation of our improved electric clock. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the operative parts of the same, drawn on a larger scale; and Fig. 8, a front view of the hand-actuating mechanism.

Similar letters of" reference indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, A represents an electromagnet that is supported below the eloelr mechanism and provided with a nicelybalanced armature, A, which is fulcrumcd to vertical standards A The armature A is provided with a lover, a, having a contactscrew, a, at one end and an adj ustable weight, a at the opposite end. The weighted end of the armature forms contact with an upright post, A, that is covered with leather or felt, so that the contact of the armature-lever a with said post takes place in a noiseless manner. The armature A is further provided with an. upwardlyextending lever-arm, 0, having a plate, (l, at its upper end,that forms intermittent contact with the shorter arm of an oscillating crutch, D, that is fulcrumed to a steel pivot, cl, while the longer arm of the crutch l) cngagcs,by a pin, (2, the clock-pendulum l The longer arm of the crutch D is provided with a fixed arm, cl, extending at right angles thereto, said arm being provided with an adjustable weight, (2*. (Shown in Fig. 2.) The crutch I) after being lifted by the levcrnrm O is returned by the weight d, so that the crutch D engages the pendulum P by the projecting pin (Z and imparts an impulse to the same, so as to oscillate it toward the right. The armature A is attracted by the electro magnet A when the pendulum closes the con tacts at one side, by which the battery-circuit is closed. The attraction of the armature A moves the lever-arm O sidewise,and imparts a lateral oscillation to the crutch D. On the breaking of the circuit the armature A is released and the arm O moved back, whereby the crutch D is dropped and another impulse given to the pendulum. The return motion of the crutch D is arrested by a fixed stoppin, f". The lever-arm C also imparts, by a pivot-pawl, c, intermittentrotary motion to a ratchet-wheel, c, which latter transmits, by a worm-gear, c a, vertical shaft 0', and bevelgears o c rotary motion to a horizontal shaft, c which operates the minute and hour hands of the clock by the usual gearing which are not shown in the drawings. The pendulum l is suspended from a horizontal supportingplate, S, by a flat spring, .9. The supporting plate S is connected by a comlucting-wire, 1, with the coils of the clcctro-inagnct A, and the spring 8 by a conducting wire, 2, passing through the pendulum, with kuifc-edged platinum contacts I) I), that extendlaterally from the pendulum I. The platinum contacts I) [1 form by the oscillations of the pendulum alternately contact with knifeedged platinum contactsj'f, which are applied to the upper ends of springs g g. The springgis connected with the positive polc'oi" the bat-tcry,while the spring 5 is connected with the negative pole of the same. The knife-edged contacts 7) f and b'j" are arranged at right angles to each other, so that the contacts take place at ex tremely small points, so that, consequently, the current exerts but little wear on the same. The pendulum 1 is further provided at points intcrmcdiatcl y between the suspending-spring s and the contact-pieces b I) with fixed'projcetions h h, which extend in opposite directions and are not electrically connected with the battery. Sidcwise of the projectionshh are arranged at each side of the pendulum a pair of springs, .i and lZ,which are provided with knife-edged platinum contacts m m and n a, that are also placed at right angles to each other,

so as to diminish the contact-surface as muchby a conductingwire, 3, to the binding-post,

g of spring g and to the negative pole of the battery, and the spring Z by wire 4 with one end of the coils of the electro magnet, as shown in Fig. 2. The spring 2 is connected by wire 5 with the binding-post g of spring 9, and the positive pole of the battery and the spring i by wire 6 with the binding-post 0 of a disconnector, F. The screw a at one end of the armature-lever a forms contact with the end of the fulcrumcd lever F of the disconnector F, whichis connected at its opposite endby a spiral spring, 0, with a bracketplate, 0. The disconnector-lever F has a knife-edged platinum contact, 1), which forms contact with a knife edged platinum contact, 1), the latter being connected by a conductingwire, 7, and binding-postp to the same end of the coils of the electro-magnet to which the conducting-wire 4 is attached, while the conducting-wire l is connected to the opposite end of the coils, as shown in Fig. 2. When the pendulum arrives at the end of its oscillation from right to left, the connection of the springs Z Z and of the contacts bf is obtained, whereby the circuit is closed and the armature attracted as the current flows from the positive pole of the battery to-the spring g, contacts f and b, wire 2, spring 8, and wire 1 to the coils of the electro-magnet through the same and over wire 4, springsZ Z, and contacts a n and wire 3 to the binding-screw and back to the negative pole of the battery.

raised position without acting upon the pendulum. Then the pendulum arrives at the end of its oscillation from left to right, the platinum contacts bf and t 'Z are connected with each other, which causes the battery-current to flow in a reverse direction through the coils of the electro-magnet, the current passing from the positive pole of the battery, binding-screwy", wire 5, springs i 1", wire 6, bindture the contacts 1) p of the disconnector-lever F are separated and the circuit broken. The dropping of the armature A causes the leverarm 0 to release the crutch, so that it drops and imparts an impulse to the pendulum, which oscillates it from the right to the left. The crutch D is stopped by striking againstits stop pin f which has the advantage that an impulse of uniform strength is imparted to the pendulum. As the circuit is closed for an extremely short time only at the ends of each oscillation of the pendulum, the battery is but slowly consumed and capable to act for a considerable length of time without requiring refilling, whereby the running expenses of the clock are reduced to a great degree.

The advantages are as follows: first, the

absolute neutralization of the residual magnetism by the reversal of the current in the coils ofthe electro-magnet; second, the prompt and effective dropping of the armature and the instant interruption of the circuit; third, the considerable saving in battery-power by the use of a weak battery and consequently reduced oxidation at the contact-pieces.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The combination of an oscillating pendulum, 1?, having contact'pieces b b and lateral projections h h, springs g r/, having contactpiecesff, springs ti and Z Z, having contacts at m and n n arranged sidewise of the pendulum, electro-magnet A, armature A, disconnector F F, operated by the armature, said contactsprings, elcctro-magnet, and disconneetor being in circuit with the pendulum, so that at one oscillation of the pendulum the current is passed in one direction and at the next oscillation in a reverse direction through the coils of the electro-magnet, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as IIO Ils

our invention we have signed our names in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

' FRIEDRICH HAENIGHEN.

OTTO HAENIGHEN.

Vitncsses:

PAUL GoEPEL, OSCAR SEEBASS. 

